Amit Shah has resigned: Narendra Modi (Lead)

New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) Gujarat Minister of State for Home Amit Shah, who continues to be a hunted man for his alleged role in the 2005 killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a staged shootout, has resigned, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said here Saturday. Modi, who arrived in the capital in the morning, said: “Amit Shah has sent his resignation to my bungalow. I will complete the formalities after returning from here. I accept his resignation.”

“As per the provisions in the constitution, I have accepted his resignation,” he said.

“Amit Shah will respect the legal system of the country. And I believe the Indian law will give him justice,” said Modi, who is considered close to Shah.

On Friday, Shah remained out of sight after a court rejected his anticipatory bail plea. He failed to appear before the court after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned him for his alleged role in the staged shootout and killing of Sheikh.

CBI mounted a massive search for Shah after naming him as an accused with 17 others in the murder of Sheikh, 37.

Friday’s chargesheet named 18 people, of which only three are yet to be arrested - Shah, Ajay Patel and Yashpal Chudasama. Both Patel and Chudasama are reportedly close to the minister.

All the 15 who are in jail are police personnel. The charges against them include murder, abduction and conspiracy.

They include three Indian Police Service (IPS) officers — D.G. Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandey and Dinesh M.N.

The high-profile case relates to Rajasthan resident Sheikh, who died in a Nov 26, 2005 alleged gun battle with police. Police accused him of being a Lashkar-e-Taiba activist. They claimed he had come to Ahmedabad to target senior political leaders. His wife Kausar Bi went missing later.

The dead man’s family alleged that Sheikh and his wife were abducted from a bus and then killed in cold blood near Ahmedabad.